The Pope is Dying Today

In Ramallah, the Pope stood in solidarity with the People of Palestine. The Pope repeated a promise: “You are not forgotten. The Church will continue to plead your cause throughout the world. You must not lose courage. You must not lose hope. Please, do not lose your dignity.” The Rev. Roy HayesPriest-at-Large In Cyberspace(Episcopal)

Christians… Muslims… Jews… Others…

The Pope is dying today. I love John Paul II. He taught me something very, very important.

When John Paul II made his Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in March of 2000, he showed the world, from my perspective, the attitude Christians need to learn in the ongoing struggle between Israelis and the Palestinians… which is related to, if not motivated by, the ongoing struggle between Jews and Muslims. There’s no way to separate politics from religion in the Middle East. No need to try. Why should we even want to?

In Ramallah, the Pope stood in solidarity with the People of Palestine. The Pope repeated a promise: “You are not forgotten. The Church will continue to plead your cause throughout the world. You must not lose courage. You must not lose hope. Please, do not lose your dignity.”In the Old City of Jerusalem, the Pope visited the Noble Sanctuary. I was watching on CNN.

In the Old City, the Pope knelt at Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall, and asked God to forgive Christians … all of us… for the way Christians have behaved towards Jews over the years. After that prayer, the Pope stood, spoke clearly, and apologized to the Jews. He made reference to the Nazi Holocaust. I saw and heard. On TV.

Within minutes Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Meir Lau, told CNN reporters: “The Pope’s apology was not sufficient. It did not go far enough.” The Vatican did not respond to those comments. According to Peter Jennings, it was the thirty-seventh time the Pope had apologized to the Jews, in public.

When I made my first Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in May of 2001, I visited the Western Wall and prayed the same prayer. When I made my second Pilgrimage in April of 2004 … and saw Israel’s apartheid Wall being built in order to protect the Western Wall … I repeated the prayer. I, too, apologize to the Jews of the World for the Nazi Holocaust which happened during my lifetime. I, too, make a public apology for all in Cyberspace to hear. Herewith. Now.

Taking all things into consideration, I join with Christians around the world as we make our rightful claim to Jerusalem. I am willing to acknowledge that Muslims and Jews also have rightful claims to Jerusalem from their perspectives. It’s useless to argue about sovereignty in the Holy City. Sovereignty in Jerusalem belongs to God alone, and God is ONE. Christians, Jews and Muslims agree that there’s only ONE God. When will we learn to acknowledge that Jerusalem is our common ground?

Peace,

Roy+

P.S. There will be security for Israel when there’s justice for the Palestinians.